No other state has issued a similar order banning new licences to medical shops.
The move signals that the ministry has begun to take a tough stand on environmental clearances in ecologically sensitive areas.
Washington-based Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), the representative body of US-based drug firms, has said it does not support the seizure of legitimate generic medicines meant for developing country destinations.
Carlos M Correa of Brazil, a patent expert of international repute whose views have been widely quoted by the Mashelkar committee to support its conclusions, has complained of 'misinterpretation' of some quotes from a published article titled 'Integrating Public Health Concerns into Patent Legislation in Developing Countries'.
The central government's decision to stockpile another 20 million capsules of generic Tamiflu (Oseltamivir) to strengthen its preparedness to fight the H1N1 epidemic has alerted domestic pharmaceutical companies.
Despite the best efforts of Indian vaccine makers to develop the H1N1(swine flu) vaccine, Swiss drug major Novartis and Australian vaccine maker CSL may be the first ones to bag the orders from the central government for its supply.
The change of mind among Indian experts is based on a recent decision of the UK high court.
Pharma industry lauds idea, but suggests looser rules on ground
The government is planning to approach the dispute settlement body of the World Trade Organization against frequent seizure of Indian medicines at various European ports.
Officially confirming the change in tack for the first time after months of speculation, Kuldeep Goyal, BSNL's chairman and managing director, told Business Standard, "Foreign partners definitely bring in some expertise that will help the company improve its performance."
Reliance Power Ltd, part of the Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani group, is in talks with five leading global power companies to sell 15 per cent equity stake in the company. Preliminary talks have started with three Chinese power companies, which include China Light and Power Holdings, and French and Canadian companies.
The Foreign Investment Promotion Board has made it clear that Press Notes 2 and 4 issued in February 2009, which changed the way indirect foreign equity would be treated in calculating foreign investment levels in Indian corporations, cannot take effect retrospectively for proposals before the board.
The sole exception would be the Rajasthan circle (which can accommodate only two operators). The West Bengal and North-East circles would be able to accommodate only four operators. The numbers are based on the latest note prepared by the DoT. The availability of spectrum is a key element that determines the auction price of spectrum. Higher availability means a lower price.
Operators say 10-paisa, 25-paisa calls not possible.
Bharti Telecom, the unlisted holding company of Bharti Airtel, may issue fresh equity to the MTN group to give it the 25 per cent economic interest in India's largest mobile service provider.
The defence ministry had demanded the entire spectrum in the area up to 100 km from the international border. The DoT has rejected this, as also a proposal by the ministry asking for prime towns, including state capitals, to be put under the 'defence interest zone'.
Differences are growing among mobile operator lobbies over a government proposal to introduce an 11-digit access code in place of the existing 10-digit code from January 2010 for mobile services to accommodate a rapidly growing subscriber base.
It's celebration time for Bharti Airtel, which last week became the third telecom brand in the world to cross the magic 100 million-subscriber mark in a single country. The gap between Airtel and its nearest competitor, Vodafone, is now about 26 million subscribers.
Solicitor General of India Goolam Vahanvati has said no further allotment of spectrum beyond 6.2 MHz should be made to telecom operators till the report of the committee on its pricing and allocation is received.If the opinion is acted upon, it would affect companies like Bharti Airtel, Vodafone, Reliance Communications, Idea Cellular and Aircel, which have applied for extra spectrum in other circles.
Three telecom companies - Spanco Telesystems and Solutions, TVS Interconnect Systems (a TVS group firm) and Acme Tele Power - have emerged as the front-runners for state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd's (BSNL) Rs 30,000-crore infrastructure contract.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances